Rue’s Wood and Glass Mirrored Curio Cabinet [SOLD]

As you are well aware by now, Rue was a collector of many things and so she needed shelves to store and show her treasures. This 32.5″ x 18″ curio cabinet hung on the wall between her kitchen and living room in her Manhattan apartment. I have seen everything from Depression Era Glassware to Rue’s rock collection displayed inside – yes, Rue had a rock collection. This cabinet is a well made piece of furniture and although she hung it on the wall, you can just stand it on a table if you want, it has a specially designed “no tip base.” The piece is made of wood with a cherry finish and there is a mirrored back; it is 7.25″ deep and there are four adjustable glass shelves. In the four frames from an interview at the end – where Rue’s sixth husband is in the background pouring himself a drink – the camera man was asking her if she was looking forward to her Broadway Show and a gig she had coming up in Texas and Rue smiled at the camera and said: “I’m looking forward to everything!” She always was, too. This piece is too large and too delicate to ship with the mirror and glass panels and shelves, so we’ll have to limit it to someone in the NYC area and then we can deliver it personally. Comes with prints of all the photos shown and a Certificate of Authenticity.

Stay Tuned…

Featured Items

Rue McClanahan played a very famous “Blanche” before the “Blanche” we all know her for; she was “Blanche DuBois” in a production of the Tennessee Williams’ play “A Streetcar Named Desire” at The Pasadena Playhouse way back in the 1950s. She later said that “Blanche” was part of the inspiration she used as the “Blanche” on “The Golden Girls.” This is Rue’s original, heavily annotated play from that performance. Rue wrote EVERYTHING about her performance in this volume: stage instructions, prop locations, motivations, emotions her character would be feeling. If you study acting, this is a glimpse into a master’s process. In addition to a poignant note handwritten by the director, this ultra-rare and exciting piece even has one of Rue’s first little margin “doodles” in the corner of a page with the silly phrase that Rue sometimes said under her breath when exasperated with something or someone – “pish tosh” – written inside. Rue’s copy of a famous play she starred in over 60-years ago comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from Estate of Rue.

Like most mothers, Rue always thought of her son as a little boy. Also, like most mothers, no matter what her son gave to her – crayon drawings, pipe cleaner sculpture, macaroni necklaces, etc… – she adored and kept forever. Sometimes her boy hit the ball out of the park though and gave her something she not only adored as a mother, but also as Rue McClanahan, world class shopper and collector. This vintage carved Maori box with paua shell inserts is just such an item. Rue genuinely loved this piece. When a big earthquake hit the Los Angeles area in the late ’80s, this piece flew off of Rue’s dresser in her adorable Encino house (photo posted) and a little corner of wood popped off. Rue said she looked for that little piece for days but never found it; she figured one of her cats or dogs thought it was a bit of kibble and probably ate it. Nevertheless, she displayed this piece in her various homes for the rest of her life, and when asked its origin, she’d proudly say: “That was a gift from my son.” Rue’s carved Maori box comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from Estate of Rue.

Can you believe that “dear friend” that Rue did this charity campaign with is Estelle Getty?! It doesn’t even look like her, does it? The hair and makeup team on “The Golden Girls” really did a great job making Estelle Getty look older than she really was. There is a rumor that has been circulating for decades that Estelle was the YOUNGEST one of “The Golden Girls,” but that is not true. In fact, Rue was the youngest of all the women, but 12 years, but Estelle WAS two months younger than Bea Arthur, who played her daughter “Dorothy,” so Rue always suspected that was how the rumor started. Trust me though, Rue was ALWAYS quick to correct people on that one! Anyway, here is an original 5″ x 7″ photograph that Rue owned from a charitable photo campaign she and Estelle did together. Those two really adored each other – all the girls loved Estelle – and you can see it in this photo, and you can see it in the final photo taken of the two of them together right before Estelle passed away; their’s was a friendship that lasted until the end. There were a few portraits with wardrobe and animal changes from this shoot, but this was the one used in the campaign. Rue’s original photograph with Estelle Getty comes with prints of the other photos posted a Certificate of Authenticity from Estate of Rue.

At one point after she moved back to New York City, the plans were in the works for Rue to release her own doll. We aren’t sure if the company that made this particular doll was the company she was working with, or if she was just using this one as a template for her doll, but this is the piece Rue was creating off of. Inside the box we found Rue’s original sketches and notes for the wardrobe design for her own doll. Naturally, the outfits are all things Rue wore and had in her own closet. This doll measures 16″ tall and about 4″ wide. The doll will come with Rue’s original design sketches and measurement notes – perhaps you can sew and complete Rue’s ideas? – and also a Certificate of Authenticity from Estate of Rue.

This is an amazing piece! Is it a necklace? Is it a piece of sculpture? Rue wore it as a piece of jewelry, but it really could sit on one’s desk or a shelf in any shape you wanted. Through ingenious design, the piece has this ability to hold any shape you put it into. Rue’s metal necklace/sculpture measures 36″ long and it is a tad over .25″ thick. The piece will come with a Certificate of Authenticity from Estate of Rue.

In 1989 Rue made a movie entitled “The Man in The Brown Suit.” Although the action is supposedly set in South Africa, it was actually filmed in Spain. Since she was so close, Rue hopped over to Africa, to Morocco, and did some site seeing. Naturally, being Rue, site seeing included shopping, and she purchased this wooden bead purse during her trip. The bag measures 5″ x 8″ with a 22″ strap. It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.